Fanfiction - Good or Evil?

[Fade]

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[*Lady Disappearing Act *]

i had to resurrect this thread because i thought this was funny:
http://www.dieselsweeties.com/archive.php?s=1713

[Sil76]

tee hee! 

[Torvaldr]

I think fanfic is like a weapon. It is good or bad depending on the hand that wields (writes) it. I am an unpublished author and on occasion I have written some fan fic. I have not shared it with anyone. Not because I am ashamed of it. Quite the contrary, I am rather proud of what I wrote. But my fanfic rarely uses the characters of the original. I will likely mention them from time to time, but I usually create an original character and story line, that is based in the world. So for example I write about a mutant set in the Marvel Universe. He is not a member of the X-Men but has heard of them.

As far as the Dresden Universe. Yep I wrote a story. With an original character. Not in Chicago. No interaction with the Dresden Characters. And In fact I think I only mention the White Council, Wardens, and Laws once each. I haven't shown it to anyone else and don't know if I ever will.

I am not sure I like the attitude that some authors/writers have about fanfic. I am a singer/songwriter/storyteller as well and have 4 CDs out, and I LOVE to hear someone singing my songs or telling my stories. In fact just recently I met someone who told me that after hearing my stories that they were inspired by me to take up storytelling.

So if nothing else, if I ever get a book published I could not help but be elated if someone took up writing after reading my work. I may make the caveat that I am certainly not bound by anything that happens in a fanfic story. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't write it.

As an amateur teacher, (not licensed I just teach the skills I know) no writing is bad regardless of what ANYONE says. Every time you write something you learn something. Every time you learn something it is GOOD! And I have more than once tore the living @$#@#! out of someone for being too negative or critical about someones else's efforts. It amazes me how often someone can do nothing but tear someone apart and down without a single word of encouragement and then have the audacity to call it "Constructive Criticism".

Jim is a terrific writer and I love his books. Harry's speech in the conclave at the end of Proven Guilty is a work of art. And his writing gets a rise out my emotions. Sometimes that is good, sometimes that is bad. But that is the whole point. He is able to elicit those reactions. I only hope that the book I am working on will be able to do the same.

[skaoi]

raises hand

It's the first thing I ever wrote and it's out here...lurking on the internet.  I find it to be a good exercise, especially since I'm quite new to this whole writing thing.  I use it to explore different things such as writing fights, fleshing out personal interactions and developing humor.  Astonishing how hard that last one is.  My real-life humor tends to be bone dry and it is a real challenge to get that on paper.

To use the analogy that's been bandied about, I might have gone into someone else's house, but I'm not drinking up all their beer and pissing on their furniture.  I'm just chillin' on the couch, watching TV.

[Brodie]

I've never really been big on reading or writing fan fiction. Even after I started a little fan fiction thing with some friends involving comic book characters (I classify it as such because it's not getting publish and we're not paid for it), I still tend to avoid delving into the genre.

However, there are worlds - not specific characters - that I would love to do fan fiction stories in, creating whole new characters of my own. Somewhere earlier on this thread someone mentioned fanfic not really conducive to creativity. I have to argue against that, based on how I feel about fanfic. When a writer wants to play around in a specific setting without using the characters that known for that setting, I think that's creative. It says alot about a writer when fans want to play around in the world he or she created.

Also, for me, I would never dream of touching characters I've grown to care about (being loving or hating them). Those characters are sacred, in my opinion, and I wouldn't dream of touching them with my unworthy imagination. That, and it wouldn't be canon. And I would never be able to live up to the original author's style.

There aren't many settings I would delve into writing fanfic for, whipping up new characters and stories that wouldn't interfere with what's come before. But, the Dresdenverse is one I would love to play around in. Lately, I've been thinking of ideas I could use, but only because I so badly want to run/play an RPG campaign in Dresden's world, as do a few of my friends. I'll likely end up running the game, being the one that's exposed the others in my group to the series, but I definitely will be avoiding using characters from the books as much as possible.

[Xenith]

I like fan fiction and am tremendously grateful to it. I was a part of X Files fandom while it was hot and wrote fanfic for about 4 years. Before I got involved, I didn't know I could write but disovered that I could after I wrote my first couple of stories. There is nothing like the thrill of writing a hot story with lots of cliff-hangers!

Am I stealing somebody else's characters? No, I'm borrowing them and not making a dime off it. In XF at least, the creator has implicitly given his fans permission to write (he used the name of a fan-fic writer in two eps of the X Files as a sympathetic character). That said, fan-fic is only good to teach you plotting, basic writing, dialog but not character development since you're taking a given character and taking it from there. I'm ready to create my own primary characters now, although I did have a blast with the plotting. I just need a place to do it and, hopefully, sympathetic and knowledgeable people to write with.

I haven't written in other genres and don't plan to borrow Harry or anybody else from the Dresdenverse!

[black roses]

For me, it helps me hone my skill. I write alot of original fiction, but I have a fanfic story going on at the same time, too. And the main reason I turned to it is quite simple: It's nice. It's really nice to have people read your writing and respond, while you're working on it. Nice to know someone's reading, and someone likes it. Most writers never know, not until they're published, and even then... with fanfic, you get responses, usually.

I usually use ff.net to post. And yes, it is hard to find good writing, but when you do, it's well-worth the wait. It's really hard to find good het, but again, I like slash and het, so I don't really care either way.

But I never write fanfic for an author I truly love- I would never for Golding or Burgess. I think their writing is perfect. And I don't use Butcher, either, but only because I never really wanted to.

[Sil76]

I tend only to do fanfic for books/fandoms which are complete -- ie, the canon is set and there is not going to be more story from the author.  I'll bend a little when doing little one-offs for somebody's birthday or something, but for the real, going to spend some real effort and time, stories, I prefer my stuff to be well sunk in established canon.  Guess any Dresden stuff isn't going to happen for a while 

[RMatthewWare]

I've never written fanfic, and I can't recall reading any either.  I suppose, however, that anything that gets you writing is good, especially if you enjoy it.  Just realize that anything you write will never be published.  If it helps you figure out how to write, then wonderful.  But at some point, if you want to be published, you need to move on.

Matt

[Sil76]

Yep, long as one remembers it's all in good fun -- it's good practice and mental exercise

[Courser]

I'll raise my hand and confess to both reading and writing fanfic.

There is a LOT of really horrible fanfic out there, no doubt, and I've gotten extremely selective about what I'll read in the last few years.

Not all of us are raving nutjobs, either. I actually belong to a small, tiny really, writing group that's aimed towards moving into original work as well. We all view writing fanfic as a way to improving our writing in general. I'm amazed sometimes at just how far my writing has come in the few years I've known these people.

For the record, I've never touched anything from a book universe. Generally those worlds are pretty complete for me and I don't feel that there's anything I could add. So no, I have no urge or intention to ever write any Dresden-verse fanfic. And maybe I also feel it's a bit disrespectful towards the authors. 

Personally, I would be horrified if anyone associated with  with the source material were to see my stories. I have no illusions that way. No, I don't write slash, but still. That's not why I write it.

Why don't I put forth more effort into original work? Quite frankly, I've got an extremely demanding job and I work a lot of overtime. I simply don't have the bandwidth right now to create my own universe. Yet I have the drive and desire to write something. I do it for relaxation and my own edification. If a few of my friends enjoy it, more's the better. Not a lot of people see my stuff and that's fine with me. But bottom line, I feel it's better to keep my hand in, keep practicing, even if it's with other people's characters, than to do nothing.

[RMatthewWare]

I wrote my first novel at work.  Each day I would have several hours where I was alone and had nothing else to do.  My work was caught up and I could either surf the web (which gets boring fast and is looked down on at work), read a book (also looked down on), or write my novel.  Writing was the one thing they couldn't trace.  I stuck my flash drive in the computer, wrote all I could for that day, then took it back out and took it home.  No problems.  Before that I simply e-mailed sections of the story to myself.  I thought it was kind of funny, actually, because I was technically getting paid to write my book.  Now I just need to finish editing it and get it sold.  Then I'll make the big bucks.  Or maybe just get it sold and not make anything.  There's something to be said about having a copy of a book you wrote sitting on your bookshelf.

Matt

[ColdWinterWind]

Don't usually read fanfic anymore, most of the stuff I've read tended to focus on the fanfic author's favorite traits of a particular character, rather than exhibiting the depth that the originating author would instill.  Having said that, however, I do recall a series of fantasy novels that were set in a particular city.  I forget (gasp!) the original author, or the names of any of the novels, the characters, or even the city.  Something quite similar to Terry Pratchett's Discworld characters, but waaaay before him (yeah, I've got some years on me.).

Anyway, after the originator of the series (so it appeared) started to run out of stories to tell, somebody came up with the idea of the shared universe, in which different authors would borrow some of the original characters and use them in a supporting role to their own (newly-minted) protagonist; again, set within the same city.  This was done with the original author's consent and, sometimes, complicity - as in co-writer.  As I recall the main ground rules were that the borrowing author could not kill off an original character, nor have the original character exhibit behavior which was grossly "out of character".

Quite ofter the non-originating writers would say in the author's notes that they were raving (sic) fans of the original works, and were so very, very honored to be allowed to play in that universe.

So, on the whole 'fanfic-angel or demon' question, I'm with the pitchforks and torches crowd, except when...

[Guardian 452]

I am not sure I like the attitude that some authors/writers have about fanfic. I am a singer/songwriter/storyteller as well and have 4 CDs out, and I LOVE to hear someone singing my songs or telling my stories. In fact just recently I met someone who told me that after hearing my stories that they were inspired by me to take up storytelling.

I think this was mentioned earlier in the thread, but I'll mention it again.  Please keep in mind that the attitude of some authors/writers isn't so much about people "playing in their backyard" as it is a legal issue.

There are others here who can talk about this in more depth, but as I understand it it was Anne McCaffrey who found herself being sued by someone who'd written fanfic in the Pern universe.  Something in one of her novels was similar to something in one of these fanfics, and the writer decided McCaffrey had "stolen" the idea!  I'm sure someone else can give more info...I'm quoting memories of stuff I heard second and third-hand.  Obviously (assuming all this did happen) Ms. McCaffrey wasn't sued successfully, but my guess is if you're on the wrong end of a lawsuit once, you don't want to go through that again.

One I do remember involved Harry Potter.  In a news story there was a stink because a woman was writing HP fanfics (for example, a retelling of the first book from Hermione's POV).  Warner Brothers took an interest (somewhat negative) as she was putting this stuff out online and at the beginning of each story put in that all ideas/characters, etc were a copyright of hers!

I agree with people here that fanfics can be great learning tools.  Sadly the actions of a few individuals have meant that many authors have needed to take a negative view of them.

Keith